Mendota Liquors Robbery Suspect Escapes Near Lilydale Regional Park

A suspect who robbed Mendota Liquors in Mendota Plaza and may be responsible for three other robberies escaped Monday evening after fleeing from police—first in an SUV, then by foot.

After the robbery took place just before 3 p.m., the suspect took off in a white SUV.

, was behind the counter at the time of the robbery. He was able to provide a suspect and vehicle description, as well as a license plate number.

Soeun said he was threatened by the suspect, but he was not injured.

Rosemount police identified the suspect vehicle about 20 minutes later, and police followed the vehicle through Eagan, Rosemount, then back up Highway 52 to St. Paul. The chase ended below the High Bridge in St. Paul, where the suspect got out on foot and was thought to have escaped into the Cherokee Park/Lilydale Regional Park area. The vehicle was towed.

was called off just after 6:30 p.m., according to Sgt. Brian Convery of the Mendota Heights Police Department. Multiple agencies set a perimeter along Highway 13, Lilydale Road and Cherokee Road.

The suspect is described as a white male, about 30 years old, bald and wearing a gray shirt.

More Robberies?

The vehicle description matched a “call to locate vehicle” put out yesterday by Eagan Police in the Rosemount area after the Little Caesar’s Pizza on Diffley Road was robbed. The suspect description in the Eagan robbery is a white male, bald, 5’11” and 190 pounds. The vehicle description is a light-colored GMC Yukon with a damaged window.

The suspect “could have been involved in other robberies that occurred in Bloomington, and West St. Paul on the morning of September 26, 2011,” according to a statement released by the Eagan Police Department.

Chief Mike Aschenbrener said at the time of the search that there’s no indication that the public should be concerned for their safety.